Do you believe in destiny? I do. I have often marveled at the fact that God chose you and me to live in this specific time in the history of the world. We could have been born in any century or any millennium, but He chose this amazing time; what we now know is the last of the last days before He returns, for you and me to be alive. It is not happenstance. It is not coincidence. We are here right now because we are destined to be.

How do I know that? Because the God I serve is the Alpha and the Omega – the God who knows the beginning and the end. He knew Adam and Abraham and Moses and David. He knew Eve and Deborah and Ruth and Esther. Each had a time and a purpose for their lives, and so do you and I. He knew you would read this very blog, and He came via Lori today to tell you that you are born with a purpose and a destiny unto Him!

God knew that Lori Graham Bakker would be born in 1957 and He knew that I would answer the call to love and serve Him. Throughout my life, I always knew He was with me and felt His spirit hovering over me, even in the worst of my rebellion. That may sound strange to some of you, but it is ever so true. He never left me; He was never far from me. His hand was on me even in my sin, and His voice was always there too.

I could hear Him gently calling me, “Lori, what are you doing? Turn around. Come home to Me. I love you and I will never leave you or forsake you. You are My delight. I adore you. My love for you is lasting. My love for you is eternal. The world cannot love you like I do. What you are looking for is not in these things. I alone will satisfy the deepest desires of your heart. Come home to me, and I will give you rest, peace and purpose.”

My natural mind couldn’t wrap itself around a God who loved me while I was rebellious and willfully sinning. I couldn’t understand how God could possibly use anything I had to give. Little did I know then that my testimony of those rebellious years would help many others to find their way back to Him.

Today, I know the significance of the Times, and I know He is using every willing vessel to harvest souls.

Sometimes the Lord will speak to you directly, and sometimes He will use others to get through to you. Queen Esther is often used as an example of destiny. The most quoted verse regarding her life in the history of the world refers to her having lived “for such a time as this”. That verse sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? She was called on by God to accomplish a great mission: saving her people from annihilation! Talk about purpose!

Esther had a purpose and a destiny, but she could have said no to it all. In fact, she thought about saying no, but thought again after her uncle, Mordecai gave her a stern warning: “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

We have each come to the kingdom for such a time as this and we have a divine destiny. In this day of all the talk about “purpose”, it’s never been more important to understand that we are all here by His choosing to live in this day; the last of the last days, to fulfill a divine purpose. That purpose begins with our answer to His call.

And my answer will be “Yes, Lord, Yes”!